Uber and the trick to deceive Apple: It is no longer just a question of privacy

Uber “was” their users even after efface the implementation of its iPhone, he told The New York Times.

Until the engineers of Apple realized. It was then that Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, quoted Travis Kalanick in Cupertino, where he threatened to withdraw the application from Uber App Store if they did not stop this type of practices, as they violated the application programming guidelines established for Safeguard the privacy of its users.

The Uber trick

Uber began tracking in 2014, when it was still operating in China before selling its business to Didi Chuxing, to avoid fraud, says the New York Times article . Uber drivers were using stolen iPhones to create numerous accounts to perform phantom journeys and increase their income.

To avoid this, Uber identified the fingerprint of each iPhone, preventing the data from being deceived by the service . The problem is that Apple banned to follow the unique device identification in 2013 for privacy reasons.

To prevent Apple engineers from analyzing the applications that are published in their store, Uber created a virtual perimeter over Cupertino to hide the tracking calls from their application. Engineers in other offices outside the headquarters discovered the trick, as TechCrunch also confirms.

The problem is that the press hinted that Uber was monitoring its users even if they deleted the application when Uber detects the fingerprint to avoid fraud.

Uber issued a statement through a representative in which he said they do not follow specific users or follow their locations. Being able to recognize fraudulent agents when they try to re-enter our service is an important security measure for both Uber and our users, “he concluded. He also clarified that Uber continues to use methods of identifying devices to avoid fraud.

Chris Saad, head of development platform at Uber, wrote an aggressive reaction to the media shake that Uber was suffering as a result of the article: “They are shameful clickbaits. They are literally false news : a detail has been distorted and exaggerated to create indignation, “he said on his Facebook page.

The press and Kalanick

Uber does not follow its users, it only detects when an application is reinstalled. That ensures the company. But … why hide code from Apple engineers then?

This incident is one more in the long list of internal problems that are suffocating Uber. In January, a large number of users eliminated the application because the company, according to their criteria, wanted to take advantage of the strikes arising from the inauguration of the Donald Trump office ; in February, Susan J. Fowler, ex-manager of Uber, left the company because of the permissiveness with the harassment that existed inside her; Days later, Kalanick was videotaped discussing with one of his employees and, more recently, Waymo, one of his rivals in the race for autonomous driving, sued Uber for allegedly illegally doing part of his business secrets.

The founder, characterized by his ambition and controversial methods, can no longer stand alone and looks for a number two after the controversial cases in which the startup has been involved.

Uber has gone from being the pretty girl of Silicon Valley to cover the headlines of the press for scandals, accusations and outcasts of its founder.